The complete nucleotide sequence of plum pox potyvirus RNA.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the plum pox virus (PPV) RNA genome has been determined. The RNA sequence is 9786 nucleotides in length, excluding the 3'-terminal poly(A) tail. An AUG triplet at position 147-149 was assigned as the initiation codon for the translation of the genome size viral polyprotein which would consist of 3140 amino acid residues. The nucleotide sequence of the non-coding regions and the predicted amino acid sequence of the polyprotein of PPV were compared with those previously reported for two other potyviruses (tobacco etch virus, TEV, and tobacco vein mottling virus, TVMV), with nucleotide and amino acid sequences of other viruses, as well as with sequences from data banks. The potyvirus genomic expression is discussed in relation to the homologies observed, in particular the predicted protease recognition sequences in related viruses.